Travelers are often forced to sit for extended periods of time in an upright posture when traveling in planes, cars, buses, trains or when using other modes of travel. Traveling or otherwise sitting in an upright position without adequate back or neck support may result in discomfort, pain, or potentially lead to poor back or neck health. A number of different types of neck support pillows have been developed in the past to address concerns regarding neck support. Neck support pillows currently available often attempt to minimize hinging of the neck that might occur when a person nods off to sleep. Currently available neck support pillows may also attempt to fill in the gap directly between the neck and the chair to provide neck support and assist a person to relax when seated in a confined space. In general, neck support pillows are commonly horseshoe-shaped collars which fit around the neck of the user and rest on the user's shoulders to support the back of the neck and prevent the head from tilting sharply to one side or the other.
In the past, there have been two primary types of horseshoe-shaped neck support pillows: neck pillows pre-filled with stuffing or filling material and inflatable neck pillows. Inflatable neck support pillows are often compact when uninflated and allow the user to easily store the uninflated neck pillow in the user's luggage until needed by the user. When the user wants to use the inflatable type of neck pillow, he or she may be required to remove the inflatable neck support pillow from the user's luggage and then inflate it prior to use.
One disadvantage of an inflatable neck support pillow is that it may require the user to spend several minutes blowing or breathing air into an air way disposed in the inflatable neck support pillow. This can be both time consuming and exhausting to many users.
Further, if the inflatable neck support pillow is not adequately or properly inflated, it may not provide proper or sufficient support. If the neck support pillow is overinflated, the support may be too stiff. If the neck support pillow is underinflated, the support may be insufficient.
Additionally, plastic material commonly used to form an inflatable support pillow's air bladder is not generally breathable and may cause the user to sweat or retain heat on or around the back of the user's neck during use.
Pre-filled horseshoe-shaped neck support pillows may include shredded foam filling, feathers, or organic granular or bark-type materials as pillow stuffing. One disadvantage of a pre-filled neck support pillow is that it may push the neck too far forward or not forward enough, which may dispose the head and neck in an uncomfortable position and could result in poor neck health. A pre-filled neck support pillow may not be responsive to the differing preferences of user's with respect to pillow firmness and neck position.
Another disadvantage of a pre-filled neck support pillow is that it may embody a large footprint and when packed in the user's luggage may utilize a significant amount of luggage space. A pre-filled horseshoe-shaped neck support pillows may encompass up to approximately one-third (⅓) of the storage space in a piece of carry-on luggage.
Restrictive airline constraints on carry-on luggage sizes may also increase the importance that travelers place on the portability and size of neck support pillows when purchasing or otherwise selecting a neck support device. Further, a pre-filled horseshoe-shaped neck support pillow becomes a burden to store or carry around after a user completes his or her travels because of the weight and size.
Thus, it is desirable to have an improved neck support pillow that is light, breathable, provides responsive neck support, has a small footprint, and stores easily. It is also desirable to have an improved method for storing a neck support pillow.